


Headcanons on Betazed and Betazoids

by TheTruthBetween



Category: Star Trek
Genre: Betazed, Betazoid, Gen, Headcanon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-05-09 07:14:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14711528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTruthBetween/pseuds/TheTruthBetween
Summary: What it says on the box. My collection of headcanons regarding Betazoid history, biology, religion, and more.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to use any of my headcanons in yours fics, but please let me know if you go and give me a shout-out.
> 
> All locations mentioned are semi-canon and can be found on Memory Beta.

Physical:

  * Betazoids do not have body hair anywhere other than head/eyebrows/eyelashes, their skin is completely smooth (much like a human having just been waxed)
  * Betazoids don’t develop body hair-related secondary sex characteristics, because they don’t need the visual cue that a person is of age, the development of telepathy does it for them. Thus, no beards, no chest hair, no armpit hair, no pubic hair
  * Betazoids have excellent night vision
  * Betazoids have a lower body temperature than humans (33°C instead of 37°C)
  * Betazoids evolved to be vegetarian around the time their telepathic abilities evolved
    * Betazoids cannot eat non-replicated meat. It will make them quite ill with symptoms including stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and in extreme cases, loss of consciousness and internal bleeding
    * Betazoids can eat replicated meat only if certain enzymes are removed, otherwise they will have similar symptoms to non-replicated meat, with lessened severity
    * Although Betazoids can eat replicated meat, they cannot digest large amounts of it and must be limited to a maximum of 5 ounces per day and no more frequently than 3 days per week



 

Sexual:

  * Betazoid sexual fluids are slightly sweeter/tarter than human, and taste vaguely reminiscent of fruit


  * Betazoid women have 3 rings of muscles in their vaginas that can be consciously and separately controlled, as well as a 4th ring of muscle deeper in the vagina that cannot be consciously controlled
    * The 3 rings can be tightened in an upward/inward rhythm, which causes the 4th ring to relax and open, allowing deeper penetration
  * Betazoid men’s penises have two separate stages of erection. They are 2-3 inches flaccid, 4 inches at the first stage of erection, and 5-6 inches at the second stage of erection
    * The first stage of erection is much like a human male, in that it is involuntary and brought on by physical/mental arousal
    * The second stage of erection is only achievable with specific stimulation by the muscle rings in the Betazoid woman’s vagina (or approximated by a particular method of manual stimulation)
    * A Betazoid man will only ejeculate if he orgasms during the second stage of erection. He can still orgasm during the first stage, but will not ejaculate
  * Sex between a Betazoid couple can be done in two ways: with the intention of procreating, or not procreating
    * When not procreating, sex is much like that between a human couple, with the male thrusting or grinding into the female. The female may tighten her vaginal rings all at once, however she must not tighten in an inward/upward rhythm, lest procreation accidentally occur
    * When attempting to procreate, the male enters the female as usual, and the female tightens her vaginal rings in a stroking inward/upward motion, which has the dual effect of relaxing the muscle deep in her vagina, as well as bringing the male to the second stage of erection, allowing both deeper penetration and ejaculation. This means it is, physically speaking, entirely up to the female whether she gets pregnant



 

Social:

  * Since telepathy develops in adolescence, it’s considered a secondary sex characteristic and as such, it’s taboo for a non-family member to speak telepathically with a child
  * Betazoids are demisexual. Because the society values nudity as a symbol of sincerity, attraction is not based on the physical
  * Although Betazoids have only two sexes, they acknowledge 4 genders: male, female, non-binary, and genderfluid, and have pronouns for all of them
    * Because not all pronouns translate into Federation Standard, those who are non-binary or genderfluid choose one Standard pronoun to be referred to as. However, calling the individual the equivalent in Betazoid is a terrible insult
    * Eg: a person who is non-binary will usually choose the Standard pronoun correlating to their genitals (in this example, female) but if one is speaking to that person in the Betazoid language, to call them female is an insult, you must use the pronoun specifically for non-binary
  * There are three words for a married person that roughly translate to wife, husband, and spouse, however, none of them indicate gender.
    * Wife is a person who gives birth to offspring
    * Husband is a person who sires a child but doesn’t give birth
    * Spouse is a person who neither sires nor gives birth
      * What this means is that when Lwaxana tells Deanna she needs to “find a husband and have children” she’s literally saying “get married, get pregnant, and have children,” basically hammering the having children part home



  


Other:

  * Most Betazoid foods tend to be somewhere on a scale of sweet to tart, with some detours (eg: sweet-salty, sweet-bitter, tart-savory)



  


Bonds:

  * There are several ways for a bond to come about
  * Automatic, where the participants cannot control how/when the bond forms
    * These are considered the most sacred
    * It’s believed that the deities themselves form the bonds when two people are best suited to each other
    * These bonds cannot be broken
  * Conscious, where both individuals choose to entwine their minds and souls together
    * These bonds can be broken with help from an outside source
  * Unconscious, where one or the other reaches out and establishes a bond without realizing
    * It’s possible to avoid unconscious bonds if one is aware enough
    * These bonds are considered undesirable unless they are cemented in a conscious bond
    * They can be broken only when the bond is realized and accepted as an unconscious bond by both individuals


  * Genetic, a tradition where two children are emotionally connected by a trained adult
    * Although called a bond, a genetic bond is more akin to a precursor to a bond than an actual bond itself
    * These bonds draw the individuals to each other and help speed the ability to connect to each other, helping affection build more easily
    * It is sometimes thought that a genetic bond obligates the individuals to each other, but in actuality it simply smoothes the way for a conscious bond
    * They do not need to be broken as they do not connect the individuals’ minds or souls, and either or both of the bonded are free to reject the bond if they so choose



 

Evolution:

  * Betazed did not naturally evolve, it was terraformed by a group of highly advanced aliens
  * The aliens who lead the terraforming teams stayed on the planet and became the four deities
    * Cyndriel oversaw the entire terraforming project, and was the one who chose the planet in the first place
    * Indar oversaw the first stage of terraforming -- the creation of water and plant life
    * Medar/a oversaw the second stage of terraforming -- the development of animal life (insect, fish, bird, beast)
    * Rixx oversaw the third and final stage -- the development and modification of the Betazoid people themselves
      * The evolution of Betazoids from their initial appearance on the planet has been genetically directed by Rixx
  * The aliens are energy-based lifeforms able to appear as physical beings. They are linear, but able to look far into the future and can change current events to have the future outcome they desire. There is no known end to their lifespan, and they have resided on Betazed for several million years.
  * The aliens often appear to Betazoids, and although Betazoids are aware they are simply advanced aliens, they view them as gods because of their power and their care for the planet and people



 

Religion:

  * Four deities (canon, the phrase "thank the four deities" is used on the episode Manhunt)
  * Cyndriel (what Betazoids call Betazed, according to Worlds of the Federation)
    * Non-binary
    * Deity of Earth and Sky
    * Rules over the unchanging physical planet and, in antiquity, the stars, as well as the concepts of order, steadfastness, stasis, and time on a galactic scale
    * Resides in the Loneel Mountains
    * Appears as a tall, slim person with brown hair dressed in a simple tunic and most often shown with the right hand reaching downward and the left reaching upward. Also sometimes depicted with hands cupped at waist level, holding a mountain, a tree, a star (antiquity), or the planet (modern)
  * Indar (name of the southern-most ocean, according to Worlds of the Federation)
    * Male
    * God of Wind and Water
    * Rules over the changing elements of the physical planet, as well as the concepts of change, chaos, and time on a humanoid scale
    * Resides in the Indar Ocean
    * Appears as a lean, muscled man of average height with blond hair, wearing a waist wrap or loincloth, with both hands palm-up to the front and side. Sometimes he is shown holding a ball of water in one hand and a ball of wispy swirls (to depict wind) in the other, or with hands cupped at solar plexus level holding either the water or wind
  * Medar/a (Medara is the capital city according to Planets of the UPF)
    * Genderfluid
    * Deity of Living Things
    * Rules over all non-sentient beings, as well as the concepts of freedom, innocence, and fertility
    * Resides in the Jalara Jungle
    * Appears as (Medar) a stocky man, slightly below average in height, with curly black hair, or (Medara) a lightly muscled woman of slightly above average height with shoulder-length straight red hair (as Medar or Medara, they are the same height, and always portrayed naked). Medar/a is always depicted with some type of animal -- if the animal is tall enough, they stand with one hand on the animal, if the animal is small enough, they hold it in cupped hands just below their face, if the animal is mid-sized, they are shown sitting cross-legged holding the animal in their lap
    * When Medar/a appears as male, they are called Medar, when as female, Medara. When one is speaking of Medar/a in a general sense, there is a slight pause between the r and last a (basically a glottal stop)
  * Rixx (capital city according to Star Trek: Star Charts)
    * Female
    * Goddess of The People
    * Rules over the Betazoid race, as well as the concepts of thought, communication, inspiration, creativity, passion, emotion, and telepathy
    * Resides in the Valley of Song
    * Appears as a beautiful woman with long black hair (usually waist-length) most often depicted as naked or, rarely, draped in translucent fabric. Usually shown with arms outstretched, sometimes with hands in front of her at chest level, cupping a glowing orb
    * Many Betazoids actively dislike Ferengi is because the Ferengi created and distribute an erotic holoprogram series based on Rixx as “the pleasure goddess” and Betazoids find it highly offensive



 


	2. Houses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of the information on the Houses I haven't come up with yet, but I'll be editing this and filling it in as I make new headcanons for it.
> 
> Sources for semi-canon information are in italics.

Houses:

    * Rulers must belong to one of the Houses
    * Originally the Houses were limited to family lines of religious leaders but as society moved past castes and classism, the Houses were opened to new members
    * Houses are open to the public, with new members being sponsored by existing members in order to join
    * General House members are just called “[name] of the x House” but leading members are called “[name], Daughter/Son/Child of the x House”



 

  * ****First House of Betazed****



 

      * The House of Cyndriel
      * Artifacts: 
      * Lead by: 
      * “By the First House” is a type of expletive amongst Betazoids  _(The Battle of Betazed)_



 

  * ****Second House of Betazed****



 

      * The House of Indar
      * Artifacts: 
      * Lead by: 



 

  * ****Third House of Betazed****



 

      * The House of Medar/a
      * Artifacts: 
      * Lead by: Gart Xerx _(Imzadi)_



 

  * ****Fourth House of Betazed****



 

      * The House of Rixx
      * Artifacts: Sacred Scepter of Betazed, Blessed Books of Katara  _(The Battle of Betazed)_
      * Lead by: Cort Enaren (cousin of Lwaxana Troi) _(The Battle of Betazed)_



 

  * ****Fifth House of Betazed****



 

      * The House of The People
      * Artifacts: Holy Rings of Betazed, Sacred Chalice of Rixx, 
      * Lead by: Lwaxana Troi
      * Although the 5th House is secular, they still hold artifacts of each of the deities, showing respect to them, if not actively honoring them
      * Formed in 2273 in response to the requirement to abolish the religious requirements of the government in order to join the Federation _(Decipher RPG module: Worlds)_



 

  * ****Family Houses****



 

      * Before the creation of the Fifth House, individual families could be granted House status and made guardians of certain Betazoid artifacts as a status symbol. Although new Houses are no longer established, existing family Houses are still acknowledged as a type of nobility



 

  * ****The House of Oxila**** _(Star Trek: Away Team)_



 

      * Artifacts: The Six Orbs of Choiza, The Sceptre of Betazed _(Star Trek: Away Team)_
      * The Six Orbs of Choiza (also called The Six Orbs by Choiza) is a piece of visual and telepathic art as well as a religious experience. Choiza was an artist, scientist in the field of telepathic imprinting (that is, imprinting a telepathic or empathic experience onto inanimate matter), and religious pilgrim from the Oxila family. He crafted six orbs, and took one of each to the four deities, spending years communing with them and imprinting the experiences onto the orbs. With the fifth orb, he spent three years in orbit around Betazed to imprint the psychic aura of the planet and its inhabitants itself into the orb. With the sixth orb, he imprinting his own life. The Six Orbs was his life’s work, and are considered the height of Betazoid art and spirituality. It was the creation of The Six Orbs that resulted in the family of Oxila being given House status in 2103.




End file.
